Into The Dark, I Will Follow
by QueenUnderTheM
Summary: When Regina is kidnapped the map turns out to be a fake on the island where imagination runs wild, each person has to face their fears and admit who they truly are in order to find their happy ending. To change the future we must first admit who we were to become who we are . Swan Queen. Takes place in Season 3. Rated M for later chapters. (Was previously The Savior Within)
1. A Special Fairy

_I cannot fully express how much I have been aching to have something to write about again. I have had nearly a years worth of writers block and nil for inspiration. Then about a month ago this show fell in my lap and the characters literally leaped off the page asking to be written. First off a thank you to all of you amazing writers who have taken your time to create such beautiful stories, I know the time and work that goes into each of them so I applaud you and thank you from the bottom of my heart! __**I appreciate you!**__ Without further ado, welcome to my world dear, My name is the Queen Under The Mountain. _

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Running, she drew out her sword feeling the cold steel run across her leg. The freezing night air threatened to freeze her poorly clad body as she dodged another vine.

"Freeze!" She yelled.

The offender halted to a dead stop less than 15 feet away.

"We've got you surrounded, stop and put your hands up and tell us where you took Regina!"

The hooded figure paused, slowly pivoting on their small feet. As the perpetrator faced the group raising their hands the hood fell from above their head.

Emma gasped, the slight curls from blonde hair piled up on top of her head in a bun fell down to frame the scared face of a young looking girl.

"Tinkerbell?!"

_SQ_

The night sky folded over the edges of this realms galaxy like a blanket covered in stars.

"You seem lost my Queen."

Regina turned, flicking small water droplets over her shoulder, registering the hook that was now stopping the ship from it's current course.

"Why are you slowing down? In case you didn't know my sons life is in danger."

"Oh I know, my hot-headed Queen," Hook responded, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, keeping one on the wheel, "my plan is to take us to the far side of the island, link up with the widest part of the river. Then we shall sail through and take him by surprise."

Regina blinked. She had not been expecting the captain to respond back so quickly to her remark, much less tell her his plan.

"The irony," he added before she could think.

"What irony?" She found herself questioning.

"Oh. I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place and kill Rumpelstiltskin. And here I am sailing right back into it's heart with him as my guest of honor," he said adding under his breath as he looked out upon the ship, "It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for."

The brunette was taken aback at the pirates openness. Ever since they had made it through the portal and the initial adrenaline that had brought the not so likely crew together all aboard the same small living space in hopes to save Henry had warn off, her mind had begun to race. How did they really plan to save him? No one had bothered to think about the fact that all of the members aboard the old ship were in some fashion mortal enemies to another. She hadn't even thought about the irony revolving around the captain letting the man he swore to kill step foot aboard his ship, much less take up quarters for the time remaining. She had been to preoccupied with her thoughts circling the Charming family. How in a flash of few moments, , they all stood together believing they were going to die, mortal enemies, together yet alone,. Herself accepting her fate that she would absorb the power of the trigger until her body couldn't contain it any longer, then die along with the rest of the town. Then as if by fate, the blonde breaking away for the embrace of her family with a new found light in her eye proclaiming that she might be able to stop the crystal if she were to join in containing it. The intense rush of magic coursing through her veins as the blonde began to restrain the diamond followed by the blast of energy as the magic con-caved and the immanent destruction of the town stopped.

Her thoughts then began to jumble as the seconds flashed by of her realizing that by the aid of the other woman they had saved Storybrooke, and their lives all to then realize that they had lost Henry in the process. The immediate fear that had struck her heart was sickening as she ran after the perpetrators who had her son. All to be to late as the end of the portal collapsed just out of reach with her son no where in sight. Then the joining of the unlikely rescue crew and the dawning of the ship going through the portal containing the woman who she had sworn to rid of her happiness in the arms of her true love, the man who had darkened her mind and blackened her heart with magic, the self serving pirate at the helm and the woman who was supposed to be her undoing next to her.

There were no words for the tornado that swept through her mind at the present moment. Not in a million years did she think she would find herself in a situation like this, surrounded by the people she despised and having to work together with them in order to find her son. And never did she think that she would be standing next to the pirate who betrayed her sharing his heart while the ventured through the night.

The cold air gusted sending wisps of hair round her face.

"Greg Mendel said something funny to me," she found herself saying through the fog in her head as she brushed back her hair. "He said I'm a villain."

The captain turned his head towards her, and she took it as an invitation to continue.

"And that villains don't get happy endings." She paused letting the realization that she was sharing her innermost thoughts with a pirate who she could not yet read. Yet she shocked herself more still when she heard herself ask meekly,, "you believe that?"

"Of course I don't." He responded almost instantly.

"What do you mean?"

"How can I when yours is sitting less than 10 feet away." The Pirate pointed. Down-casting his eyes to the lower part of the ship. The stunned Queen followed his line of vision.

Standing there at the cross point of the the pirate and the queens gaze, with her back turned to the unusual duo, was none other than Emma Swan. 

_SQ_

Emma Swan found herself not believing what she had just uttered from her lips.

"Hook, I already told you," She yelled to the Pirate who was currently leading the group, "Pan tricked us, this map has no end point, no X marks the spot, it's just an outline of the island. So where are we going?"

"Were looking for a fairy who lived here," he yelled back, "she might still be on the island."

In the lush of the dark jungle surrounding her she stood halted in the middle of the small group that formed her sons unlikely rescue party.

"Wait," she said, racking her brain, "a fairy?"

"Aye,, the trickiest of them all." The Pirate said only pausing his movement for a second.

Emma furrowed her brow, as the only possible answer came to mind, "Tinkerbell?"

Hook froze and turned from his spot in front of her, "I take it you know that name from one of those fairy tale books you used to read as a child."

The blonde opened her eyes, "you can't be serious?"

"Completely serious, she would be the only one on this island who knows all of Pans hiding places inside out and could lead us to Henry with a little bit of persuasion. But be warned, she is not anything thing to be trifled with."

"But Tinkerbell?" Emma stated again, "I thought she was mute and wore a tiny green dress and-"

"She does."

All eyes turned to Regina who until now had fallen silent, unnoticed by the group.

"You know her?" Said Emma stunned by the brunette standing across from her's unexpected statement.

Regina's eyes seemed to have glazed over, her mind seeming to be in another place from where she stood in the middle of the group.

"Once- she does wear a green dress." She spoke, and as if the restating snapped her out of her memory added, "And if there's anyone we shouldn't go to for help, it's her." The brunette turned towards the Pirate, her eyes ablaze.

"You know Tinkerbell?" Mary Margret chimed in from the front of the group.

"Were going to out our trust in one of Pan's friends? Why?" David questioned.

"Aye, we're going to go to her." Hook stood up taller commanding the group, "We're going to get her help because she is the best chance we have. We already know that Pan lied to us about the map since Emma has apparently admitted who she is and yet there is no clue of where Henry is located to be seen. So regardless of any past memories or descriptions any of you may know of her from a book, know this, Tinkerbell is a fairy, a powerful one to say the least. She will charm you when you are looking and curse you the second you turn your back, so don't be fooled. But she is also a woman. And I wouldn't go so far as to say that she is Pan's friend at the moment. Not after what he did to her."

"What did he do to her?" Mary Margret asked.

The Pirate turned to her, "He broke her heart." 

_SQ_

The dark sky thundered as a lightning bolt streaked across it outside of the glass and wrought iron window. There was no rain, just flashes of blinding white and then tidal waves of sound that rocked the small chamber in which the brunette stood.

"I hope you're comfortable." Said a voice from behind her.

Regina turned from her spot in front of the window to face non other than the small blonde fairy.

"Your son is quite adorable." The small fairy continued, carrying a tray of food into the room with no doors. "He has such beautiful eyes,, and he even speaks like you. But bears little other resemblance to you whatsoever in his looks. I must say I almost wouldn't have put it together until I heard his name. Henry right?" She asked.

The brunette stood her ground,, not saying a word to the small girl coming closer.

"Oh Regina, still holding a flame for daddy dearest? Don't you know you're not supposed to name your pets?"

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**AN**: _Don't own any of the characters, working on Lana though... just the ideas! Thank you to whoever on Tumblr who made the gif set of the conversation between Regina and Hook, you inspired me! I literally searched all day through my likes feed to find it so I could link it but came up short, if you know the one I'm talking about please send a link, you can see some of my inspiration posts on my Tumblr, the link is in my description._

_Cheers!_


	2. Dead End Street

_Wow! Thank you all of you who have taken the time to favorite and follow this story. Even more, those of you who have gone out of your way to comment, send me a private message and even comments over on my Tumblr page. I knight you all in my royal house! Too __**LOCISUV **__and __**Cortez2010**__, you both are adorable with your little "I'm hooked" comments(; Thank you to __**ShadowDianne**__ on Tumblr and FF for your messages, and thank you for taking a spur of the moment theory of mine and turning it into a story! *Evil Regal high five!* If you have a theory or idea about OUAT, feel free to contact me via PM, Comments, or on my Tumblr, (link on my profile) I'd love to get back to you, I love discussing with you guys, Without further ado, here is the next chapter, by God, you've waited long enough!_

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"What do you mean by that!?" The Queen said, utterly confused at the pirates assumption that her happy ending had anything to do with Miss Swan.

"Exactly what I said love," he smiled cocking his charcoal rimmed eyes towards her, "Don't try to deny it to me."

"Deny what?!" Regina asked, not sure exactly why she was still standing next to the incredulous pirate.

Dropping his hands completely from the wheel he turned full stop towards her.

"That you have a connection to Miss Swan, and more than platonic one," he added with a raise of his eyebrows.

"The only connection Mrs. Swan and I share is her regrettably being the birth mother of my son! And him finding every way to be with her no matter how hard I try to push her out of his life!" Regina stormed, raising her voice, "And the only feelings I harbor for her are ones of detest for her being a royal pain in my ass! Hardly what I'd call a -"

"I never said anything about feelings love," Hook interjected, cutting the raging queen off full speed.

"What?!" She turned, immediately derailed from her charging train of thought.

"You said feelings love, not I, I was only commenting on the resounding connection shared between you and the lass."

"Where did you ever? That rum must have rattled your little brain for you to-"

"I've seen the way you look at her. And don't try to lie your way out of this one," he said, raising his voice to cut her off before she argued, "I remember the way you looked at me once, and there was nothing in your eyes but pure pleasure at getting what you wanted. But with her, in every fight and every glance you don't just show blinded bloodlust, like you do with everyone else who dare cross your path. There's something more. Something I don't believe anyone has ever has the chance to witness from you with immediately losing their heart."

"And what is that?" Regina asked carefully, lowering her voice and squaring herself to the causing pirate as to not let anyone overhear.

"Fear."

_SQ_

The lush tropical shrubbery was providing more of a nuisance than a beauty. With every step Emma found herself being whacked by various palms and vines.

"Ah, what the heck!" The weary blonde traveler excalimed after the umpeenth plant smacked her square in the eyes. She halted, taking a moment to look ahead of her to find the brunette in front of her whacking the palms out of her way. "Regina, stop it!"

The brunette merely continued pushing forward, smacking away, sending branches straight at Emma. Pretending or truthfully not hearing the shout from the blonde, Emma did not know. With a huff Emma ducked her head, covering her face with her arm as to avoid more palms.

They had been sitting all day, Mary Margaret suggesting that they should conserve their energy while they constructed their plan for finding the fairy resulting in Regina throwing a fit and storming off into the jungle in a blaze of frustration. Emma swore she had seen something emit from the woman, a billowing haze that somehow resulted in a purple tint being added to the air that followed her as she went. Emma couldn't say she blamed her, she had begun feeling restless after the first hour of not coming up with any decent plan. It had been hard enough spilling her emotions about the past with her current flatmate turned mother, and then finally unlocking the map to find it never was going to lead them to Henry in the first place. She hated being played, and worse, she hated knowing better and still choosing to trust. She had wanted to trust so badly that in all of his sick twistedness, Pan had honestly given her a way to find her son. That if he won by making her face her past that he might honor it somehow and give her a clue. But no, and now she had nothing more than a blank map of the island and no clue on how to find her son. So when Regina had come back hours later, almost appearing out of thin air, stating that she was going into the jungle with or without the group Emma had jumped at the chance to follow and move again. And now she found herself, still nowhere, dodging incoming vines for the better half of the past hour.

"Regina, slow down!" the blonde yelled, her arm numb from the thrashing. The brunette didn't seem to falter, it wasn't until Emma accidentally rammed her front into the solid backing of the Mayor that she noticed she had stopped. "Ow! Regina what the hell?!"

The blonde looked up, holding her nose where she had collided, to see the the former Mayor and adopted mother of her son completely stone like, staring off into the distance. Emma followed her solid gaze to see exactly what was causing the woman to have such a reaction. Nearly 50 feet in front of them, where the dense jungle finally seemed to part ways, granting her access to see was what looked like to be the edge of a cliff. And then, nothing. Nothing but a short stop and a long drop all the way until you hit the icy water below. Emma shuddered, remembering the vivid feeling of the frozen water, washing over her skin, freezing her to the bone as she dived off the safety of the boat, into it's depth only to sink deeper after she was struck. If it hadn't been for her father- er David - jumping in to rescue her, she wasn't sure she would have made it out alive. All she could remember was the feeling of standing on the side of the boat, yelling at the brawling crew to stop, getting nowhere, and then the immediate notion to jump, the rush of falling and the immediate shock of hitting the barrier between her and the water below. She still wasn't very clear on why she had jumped, but she knew that immediately when she had come up on the ship it had worked. The faces of Mary Margaret and David peering over her worry stricken, yet relieved, the Captain looking at her from behind with a look of genuine concern. But it was the other womans face that Emma found most strange. The wet wisps of her hair sticking to her face from the storm left only a fraction of her face visible, but the moment Emma found it she wasn't sure if it was because she was nearly frozen or else but she couldn't make the gaze between her and the Mayor unlock for the life of her. It has almost felt electric. The emotion on the dark brunettes face was unreadable. There was emotion, and plenty of it, that much was apparent judging by the wearing lines of her brow and the way in which she was heaving breaths in in short gasp as if they physically were causing her pain. But there was something else, something that Emma had never seen on her before, and it was in her eyes.

She wasn't able to place it then as she was quickly ushered away by her 'parents' to her bunk, wrapped in blankets and random articles of ancient looking clothing. But as she had fallen asleep that night she swore that she had seen the shadow of the Queen walk by her door.

"It's a dead end."

Emma shook her head from her thoughts at the sound of the other woman beside her speaking.

"Uh- yeah I'd say so." She responded, taken slightly off guard.

The brunette let out what sounded like a low growl and turning on her heel, made her way to the nearest rock and sat down. Emma's chest dropped, her hopes of maybe making some headway on finding Henry vanquished. It wasn't until she heard what sounded like the snapping of multiple tree branches did she turn to see the tall palm tree behind Regina bending at it's core as if it was being forced to do so by the air surrounding it.

"Regina!" Emma piped, realizing that it was the women's raging subconscious that was causing the nonresponsible tree to bend.

The tree immediately stopped creaking, hanging limp on it's side where it had stopped, nearly parallel to the ground. The brunette woman sat there with her eyes clamped tight, her head in her hands, her fingers jammed into her temples, rubbing circles as if trying to cure the most dastardly headache ever. Emma went over to where the normally calm and collected Mayor sat looking completely defeated and helpless.

She couldn't help feeling for the woman, seeing the way she looked so beaten as she sat, unbeknownst to her Emma found herself speaking.

"Look Regina, I know it doesn't look hopeful, but somewhere deep down in my gut I know that we're going to find Henry. I can't help but feel that with the two of us looking there is no way that even someone as feared as Pan is, that he could stop the stubbornness of you or the idiocy of me to continue looking for him. Hell, I think there really is no better combo than you and me to find something that was taken from us, especially when it happens to be our son," She said, surprised that the woman hadn't snapped at her for sounding so much like her mom with her annoying positivity, but something about seeing the woman that never faltered look as crushed as she did made her want to throw out all things that could make her feel better. "And I know-"

"What did you say?" Regina said, cutting the blonde off mid sentence, her nearly red rimmed eyes finding and gluing onto the younger women's.

Here it comes, Emma thought, "I said that with the two of us there was -"

"No," Regina interrupted, "You said that Henry was- you referred to him as our son."

"Well yeah, he kind of is," Emma said, confused as to why Regina was commenting on something so small as terminology, when she had a plethora of things she could have picked at.

With a little bit of an edge she added, "Why? Is that not okay by you?" slightly peeved that Regina was looking to pick a fight over such a small matter while they had bigger things to worry about.

The brunette looked as if she were in deep thought for a moment before muttering, "No. Not at all. I just... never heard it that way."

Emma was so confused. Then she found herself completely dumbfounded when the brunette opened her mouth to speak again before she could utter a word.

"I always wanted a little girl."

Emma stood back, flabbergasted at the Queens completely abnormal and unthreatening nature, as if she were completely not herself. She found herself staring for a minute, trying to see if the real Regina was going to pop back out from behind that tree she had almost snapped and 'poof' the imposter that was clearly sitting there before her eyes away. When no second Regina appeared Emma sat, not sure if she was going to be able to stand through their impromptu heart to heart out of shock and answered, "Really, you? A girl?"

"Yes," Regina responded, distant, her eyes fixed on some small nothing on the ground, "I always thought that it would be fun to have a daughter. To raise, to go shopping with."

"I never really thought that I would have kids," Emma added, "but if I did I guess, I always hoped for a girl as well. I don't think I could ever raise one but something inside of me always wanted one. I still can't imagine that I even have a kid, let alone a son." Her mind ran blank, realising that growing up both her and Regina had shared a lot of things in common. Both of them had wanted kids, both had grown up in a world that wanted them to be something they didn't want to be, and both had felt unwanted by their parents. She had realised from the knowledge shared with her from Mary Margaret after she connected with Regina's subconscious when they were trying to find her days before, just how little she knew of Regina's past and how similar hers was. Mary Margaret had explained only in pieces the complete and total pain she had experience when she connected. From what Emma got out of it, the pain was severe physically but miles beyond mentally. She had said that in the haze she had gotten to see bits and pieces of the thoughts that were going through Regina's head at the time and that they looked like memories as opposed to futuristic things. She said that the few things that she could make out where, visions of the Enchanted Forest, the make of what looked like a large barn, all made up in white, the stalls where the horses were kept, draped in wreaths, and small candle lights that cascaded from the ceiling that made the wooden structure look snow covered. Then the memory changed and flashed to Henry, Mary Margaret had said it looked like when Regina had adopted him because he was still a small baby, but was distinctively himself. And then it shifted once more. This time she had said the memory became even less clear, probably because Regina had been fading in and out of consciousness at the time, but she had sworn that the last thing she saw was the sight of the porch way of 108 Mifflin Street at night from the doorway. The town was dark, and only the light from the porch shone as a small car drove up parking across from the driveway. The doors opened and out stepped Henry followed by a tall woman. They walked up the driveway to where she stood at the front door, Henry not ringing the doorbell. Then she said that she felt herself open the door, running outside at the site of her son. Feeling completely worry stricken yet flooded with relief as she roped him in for a big hug. It wasn't until after he had pushed away and she let him go run inside the house behind her that she had noticed the woman standing there in her walkway. And then the memory began to fade.

"I guess life has a way of surprising you," Emma added.

Emma looked forward, glad to be sitting for the time being since her feet had started killing her a good half hour a go, but pain be darned, she wouldn't let Regina know. Being preoccupied with her own thoughts she didn't notice the woman next to her shifting positions slowly to face her.

"Emma, I need to -"

BANG! There was a loud crash behind them followed by what sounded like a muffled scream. Emma leapt to her feet as soon as she registered the noise seeing Regina out of the corner of her eye.

"This was stupid. It's time to go!" Regina yelled over her shoulder, hands at her sides as if she were summoning a fireball, ready for some attack.

Emma saw it before she did, like a dark cloud hurdeling towards them, coming in fast like nothing she had ever seen, "Regina, run!"

_SQ_

"Hook, don't tell her, alright?"

David chased after the Pirate who had already turned to walk in front of him.

"It's not my place to say whether or not it's right for you not to tell your beloved wife that her husband is surley dying, and fast, from Pan's poison no less," the pirate turned, "and even if I did think that it's stupid that you're not giving her the chance to know, which I do, why would I ever want to interfere with the affairs of the Charming family?"

"Oh like you haven't already," Charming responded, quick as a whip.

Killian turned, the expression on his face almost painful, "Look, stating a fact and meddling are two different things." The dark haired man said, emphasizing his words. "Believe me, I know."

Charming sighed, his instinctive defence mode winding down at the look of sincerity on the other mans face, "I'm sorry, it's just hard to believe that what you say could be true. After all that's happened between them, all the hurt and the pain, and suffering. Hell the terrors that she put Snow through, and you think that she's supposed to just drop her past and save-"

"I don't think, I know." Hook replied, cutting off David's train of thought. "And it all come's down to your daughter. Their paths have been intertiwned since before the Crocidile himself was born. And if she doesn't start beliveing it then I suggest we all start collecting wood, because we're going to be here for a long time... well at least some of us anyway.:

So-" the dark haired man said, steping in closer to his compainion. David could see the minute tears in his black shirt and weather torn leather jacket, no doubt a sign of the wear and tear of living among the sea for years. The dark lines under the thinner mans eyes became apparent, evidently the Pirate hadn't been having as peaceful of nights as he had been boasting. "I suggest that you rethink your heroics and consider telling your wife of your condition. Because without her okay Emma will never be able to do what she is going to have to do."

"And how does telling Mary Margret that I'm dying going to help anything?"

"Because," Hook said, "She will have to die too."

_SQ_

The remains of the hollow room were depressing to say the least. It had long turned dark and the light of the full moon was the only thing granting her the ability to see outside the small window.

Regina didn't like being trapped.

The small fairy had long since left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Though she hadn't said a word to the demented pixie, she had noticed a difference in her. Besides the obvious that her clothes had taken on a more forest green hue as opposed to the obniousxly bright green they had been when they had first met, there was something different about the fairies demeanor. She had entered the room, though it had no doors, but she hadn't used magic on her when he had knocked her out in the forest before. In retrospect, whatever the small woman had used had been strong, but not enough to keep her out for long. Just long enough to get me up here, Regina thought. Whatever it was it had almost had an after taste. Like poppies, or other. Regardless with her knocked out, and temporarily powerless, surely that would have given the small fairy ampel time to get her revenge in whatever twisted and dark way she had wanted.

Regina had a hard time believing that the once full of life and unyeilding trust and belief, girl she once knew could have fallen so far.

Another bolt of lightning streaked across the pale sky, followed by a noise so riveting that the walls of the chamber shook. The plate the fairy had left earlier jittered on the small wooden table and fell to the floor with a resounding crash. The brunette took a moment to examine the splayed food left untouched that was now scattered among the cobbel floor. An assorment of grapes and non tropical looking meat were now covering the area underneath the small window. In the hue of the moon light something caught her eye. Trapped underneath the overturned platter there was a small fold of what looked to be a small shred of paper. She reached out for it, pulling up a small slip, no bigger than a napkin.

_Come quickly. I can't get you, she is watching. You need to jump._

* * *

_**AN**__: What about those feels in the last episode? I feel Swan Queen endgame even more solidly now, never mind any Captain Swan kiss.. what do you think? _

_Cheers, Queen_


End file.
